Gone shoppin'...

Now why do I have a picture of silverware here on the blog? Well, that is because someone has donated funds to our church for new silverware, and well, SOMEONE has to go to Atlanta and pick it out! That someone is actually a trio: Maureen, Diane and I are heading to a restuarant supply house with special instructions and by golly, we'll do our best to spend wisely and meet the requirements specified.

Diane says there is a TJMaxx nearby, so we will just HAVE to take a detour there and see what we can find. It is required that when we go to the 'big city' that we do a little girlie shopping. Oh boy, oh boy...we'll have fun!

If you want to see some of our Hunting Island photos, click over to Haley's blog. Sorry I haven't had time to upload my photos yet. Does it count that I fixed Maryan's printer problems yesterday, had a committee meeting, and that I visited a sick parishioner, and...and...you know the drill. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. It was a blessing to have dinner prepared by Chef Amy and visit with them last night. Ah, life is good...especially when we enjoy good health!

Have a super Tuesday!

Whew, it's Monday!

First off, my computer wouldn't fire up this morning. That is NOT a good way to begin the day. It finally straightened its bytes up and worked, but it had better not do that again. I mean it.

I won't bore y'all with all the details, but it has been a busy day; fortunately, Amy texted me an invite to dinner. Woohoo...I'm loving that! Of course I texted back a big YES, so now I have laundry rotated and am going through the mail...instead of cooking dinner. Oh yes, we'll bring the wine, cheese and crackers! Miss Amy is a great cook, and we get the added benefit of some good 'sugah' from two boys. Life is good...after all! Cheers!!!

Sunday stuff..

Missy has gone from her perch at the window of the moho to this window in the dining room, keeping a close watch on anything moving outside...good guard kitty!

The moho is mostly unloaded. It is fun to be away, but it is always good to be back home. Why is that?

I have a full day ahead of me...church, followed by a meeting, then a card class at Haley's house. Check out her blog and see what we'll be making. I soooo need to stay home and work on my stamping area and play awhile there. And work on organizing my photos, both in the real and in my computer. And do laundry...naw, that can wait!

Dick plans to go flying, so he'll have fun today. I hope you do, too! Happy Sunday, y'all!

Heading home...

Going N through SC for a change of scenery, since we came S through GA on the way down. It sure is hot, but hopefully Mayberry will be a tad cooler. Enjoy your Saturday. Life is good!
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Friday stuff...

It rained off/on all morning, but at least Dick and I got in a bike ride around the CG between rain showers. The sun came out while we were having lunch, so the kids all went down to enjoy a final afternoon at the beach. Dick and I just walked a bit. It's been lazy fun, but we all look forward to going home tomorrow. Hope you all have a great weekend! What are you doing for fun??? Ciao...
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Hunting Is. Lighthouse

We began the morning before it got too hot with a climb up the lighthouse to enjoy the lofty views. We then enjoyed sightssing in nearby Beaufort, with a stop in WallyWorld to find replacement goggles for Miss A. Next was a stop at the visitor's center for quick use of their wi-fi for Haley and me...it is annoying that the cg has too many trees for us to use our own!!! And then we enjoyed a late lunch at the Shrimp Shack, and a nap. Vacations can be tiring! It is time now for a walk on the beach...and that is our day. Life is good, despite the pesky mosquitoes!
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Tired gals...

Playing, swimming...busy day for these gals. Dick and I took a nap. That's a good vacation day for us, right?! High tide last caused some campers to have to evacuate during the wee hours and flooded a portion of the road. Hopefully all will be calm tonight. Hope you have had a good Wednesday! We sure have...
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Two happy gals!

Getting our feet wet before dinner. How fun is this?!
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Hunting Island, here we come!

The following is what I learned online about our destination:

Hunting Island State Park is one of the most popular state parks and beach areas in South Carolina. The Hunting Island beach attracts over a million visitors a year. The Hunting Island historic lighthouse is the only lighthouse open to the public to climb in the state. From the top platform, one can get a breathtaking view of the ocean, beach and the marshland.

Fishing is popular in the lagoon, surf and the fishing pier which reaches 1120 feet into the Fripp Inlet. Located at the pier entrance is the Nature Center, which has some very nice exhibits of the local wildlife and marine life.

Nature trails, Visitor Center, natural beach and even a boat landing. Hunting Island State Park is not just another beach...it's a nature and wildlife paradise... right here in the USA.

So this is where we’ll be for the next few days. Drop by if you are in the neighborhood, however I’ll warn you about moho rules:

Cocktails for six, dinner for four, but sleeps TWO!

Happy trails, y’all! Life is good…go camping!!!

1 Euro Shop

Here is Dick parking the bike next to the German equivalent of The Dollar Store in Boppard.  He forgot his baseball cap, so he went shopping and found one in here.  I figured we would throw it away at the end of the trip, but it made it home with us.

Good Monday afternoon!  We’ve been loading up the coach and getting ready to depart early in the morning for Hunting Island, SC, which is near Charleston.  Haley and her family are taking their fifth wheel, so we’ll be camping together until Saturday.  I don’t want to think ahead to then (doing the reverse of everything we’ve done today!).

Dick just now got the moho backed out of the garage (just ahead of the rain!), and it is now parked on the drive way, waiting for us, the computers, and Missy to load up in the morning and be on our merry way.

Come along for the next adventure.  We plan to enjoy the kids and a little beach time for the next few days.  There will probably be a photo or two to show off!  And I plan to catch up on some more blog reading and photo editing.  Ahhh, sounds like a good plan, right?!

Happy Father's Day, honey!

Enjoy your time out on the lake this afternoon. You deserve it, honey!

We all love you and appreciate everything you do for our family (he is always the fix-it guy!). You're the bestest!!! Life is definitely good with you in it.

So, if anyone wants to check out my photos of Ravenna, Italy, click right here:

http://cid-94b4c8cfbd53ae5f.skydrive.live.com/albums.aspx

I uploaded 35 photos last night.

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there!

Saturday stuff...

Isn't this a gorgeous view? Dick took this photo a few years ago from our RV park, looking toward the mountains. Way over there in the background is the highest point in Georgia at almost 5,000'. I am still amazed that lots of folks don't know that Georgia has mountains! The Appalachian Trail begins just south of us.
And the RV park is where we will be this afternoon at our annual meeting for the folks who lease with us. We begin with a fried chicken potluck dinner...that's always good...then we'll have a business meeting where we'll hand out new rosters and park maps, and let the folks decide if they want to change any of the park rules. Dick presides and I get to take the minues, then type them up and send everyone copies...all that boring paperwork stuff that I get to do. Brian pressure cleaned the pavilion/bath house for us, and Dick has been over doing other duties to spiffy up the park and get the Wi-Fi to broadcast further. Stuff like that. See, we aren't retired!

Summer has officially arrived, and the lake is full. Tomorrow we'll get to play on the lake. Enjoy your weekend! Life is good...go make fun of it!!! How are you spending Father's Day?

Ravenna, Italy - Piazza del Popolo

Here is a look at the Piazza early in the morning...remember I said that this was a holiday time...

And this is the view later on that morning, looking in the opposite direction as we were trying to get away from the crowds! This was what I assume was the equivalent of the mayor's office and big whigs and speeches (like we could understand Italian!) were about to take place...a band was playing in a different piazza (at least we could enjoy the music!)

It is beautiful and hot here in Mayberry today as I sit here in the coolness and watch Jason mowing our lawn. It's nice to have our very own 'yard boy,' bless his sweet heart. I'll take him something cold to drink on my way out to lunch. It's the least I can do. I'm loving having the kids live next door. You can see there are some good fringe benefits.

Happy Friday. Go out and do something fun!

Thursday in Mayberry...

Although this photo isn't the best, it is a much prettier sight than the paper-fest and laundry-fest that is still going on here on the lake in Mayberry. And, I might add, we now have a lake instead of a muddy cove, thank you, Mother Nature!

I'll have to sort through some of Dick's photos (read: better camera!) and upload a few of his. Marital rights allow me to steal, plus he doesn't care anyway. This is a photo a ceiling in the Basilica San Vitale in Ravenna, just down the road from Ivana. These images are made up of tiny mosaics, and are absolutely beautiful! They are on the walls, the ceilings, the floors...everywhere! This is workmanship not seen today in our world of instant decorating.

I kept Scooter yesterday morning while Amy played real estate agent. No photo, since he slept a good bit of the morning, but I will report that he is 'robot walking' when you hold one of his hands. He'll be going solo before too long.

OK, now I have to get back to work. Y'all have a great Thursday. Life is good...especially now that I am restocked on some 'sugar'!

Wordless Wednesday...

Home again, home again!

It feels soooo good to be home! Yesterday was a very long day. We managed to stay up until 9p, and then at the crack of 5 I was so awake that I decided to get up and begin making my blog rounds. I'm still not finished with those. What I really need to do is begin the laundry-fest, but how fun is that? NOT. Those royal servants are definitely still on that boat and not here at my house.

Thanks for following along with us on our trip. We enjoyed the company. We leave in one week for a new adventure...maybe some of you can figure out what type it will be...stay tuned and come along for the ride!

Enjoy your Tuesday. Anyone want to come help unpack and do laundry? You'll find the latest dirt...

Monday...time to fly home!

Yesterday we rode the rails; today we are flying high in the sky!

We took the train along the Rhine ...we are pathetic...we always wind up somewhere along the Rhine when in Germany...with the intentions of stopping in Rudeshine (not spelled correctly) for lunch, but we saw that it was biker day and too crowded, so stayed on till the end of the run and ate in the station, then headed back to Cologne on a different route. Hey, we at least vary the route occasionally! We did a quick look inside the cathedral, picked up our stored bags from the hotel, and arrived back in D'dorf ready for dinner. Not much in the little berg on the other side of the airport but a pizza place open on a Sunday night, but it was surprisingly good.

Our flight is a bit early, so we have a wake up call to roll us out and get us going.....and my phone alarm also set. I am anal about NOT making a flight in time! Get over it.

We are both ready to be home where we can understand the language and read the signs...and sleep in our own bed! Oh yes, we want to see the kids and grandkids, too...and Missy.

Hope you all have a great Monday. I look forward to catching up on my blog reading! Ciao...

Sunday in Cologne...to D'dorf...

Today is absolutely beautiful as we sit in the lobby of the Ibis Hotel across from the old cathedral. We walked down the block and had our breakfast, as recommeded to do by Rick Steves...and now we are ready to sightsee here and then catch the train to D'dorf this afternoon. We have been to 10 countries on this trip...can you believe that? That a lot, even for us! Home sounds mighty good right now, and that is where we will be Monday afternoon.

A big Happy Birthday to Miss A today. She is 11...and we are going to miss her party. We will celebrate again when we get home.......for sure!

Time to go take more photos...ciao...miss y'all! Hugs to everyone. Enjoy your Sunday...we will!

Goodbye Princess – hello Rome!

Beautiful pastel buildings, flowers everywhere…Portofino was lovely, especially surrounded by all that bright blue water everywhere.  Love it; love it!

Good morning!  We just finished breakfast on the Lido…industrial view this morning here in the port at Civitavecchia, so the photo above was a much nicer sight to post.  We are scheduled to disembark in about an hour, then head to the train station where we hope to leave our bags and wander around Rome for a bit.  Our flight to Cologne is at 4p, so we have time to kill.  We spend tonight in Cologne, then take the train at our leisure up to Dusseldorf tomorrow.

This has been a great cruise; we’ve met some lovely people, visited lots of new places, and take home loads of good memories.

Enjoy your weekend…what are you doing?  Life is good!  Ciao…

Princess Cruise - Day 12 - Portofino

Beautiful day, beautiful area. We would love to return here some day. The entertainment is over and it is time for dinner. Tomorrow we dock near Rome and say goodbye, but the adventure isn't over. Ciao for now...
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Monaco harbor

I sent this yesterday, but it never showed up. This was our breakfast view on the Lido deck...B, check out the sign for TdeF! Ciao...later...
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Princess Cruise – Day 11 – Monte Carlo

Well it went downhill after breakfast.  We walked to the train station…all uphill…Mr. Walks Fast was ahead of me, and the last I saw of him was at the top of the escalator near the train station.  By the time I got finally got off, he was nowhere to be seen, so I ASSuMEd he had walked up a set of stairs to the next level.  Insert here that this is where he says he called my name and I looked at him.  Huh?  Did I acknowledge this?  Nope.  Nowhere do I see him, much less HEAR him.  I see the Gare sign (train station), so I go that way, expecting to see Dick inside purchasing tickets……….and we couldn’t find each for about an hour.   And our walkie talkies are at home, since ‘someone’ told me we wouldn’t need them.  Take a guess on who that was.  I’m getting a leash to slow the boy down and keep him close!

Brian, TomTom let him down…he was following it to the Gare, and it took him up, around and down, and all this time it was right next to him!  We’ll have great stories to tell over this one!

We finally did get on the train to Nice (only about a half hour away), never did find the pizza place we were looking for, so we had lunch and came back to the room, tired puppies, took a shower and crashed!

So tomorrow is Portofino, a new port for us.  We hope the day won’t be quite so adventurous.  I’m sure Dick won’t lose sight of me again!  And then it is on to Rome and we leave the ship.  Stay tuned to see what the Griswalds are doing next!  Life is (now) good!!!  Ciao for now…

Princess Cruise - Day 10 - Ajaccio, Corsica, FR

Another perfect day...another bus ride along the beautiful coast. Tomorrow, we dock in Monte Carlo. We've 'done that,' so we plan to train over to Nice, trying not to fall and break my arm again! We know a great pizza place, plus we love Nice. Bonjour, y'all...we hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!!
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Princess Cruise – Day 9 – Sorrento

We couldn’t ask for better weather—sunny, warm, hardly a cloud in the sky.  Sorrento is a beautiful city, definitely worth another visit.  We would love to get over to Capri next time.

Last night for our departure, we were treated to Mt. Stromboli sending up some smoke.  I think we got a couple of good shots of it.  Thankfully, Vesuvius was all quiet today.

The 6 member dance/singing group did a good job on Motown music tonight, doing some of our fave numbers.  They are a mighty energetic group…young, for sure!  Last night we had a hypnotist entertain us, and doubting Dick actually volunteered to be amongst the group of a dozen to try to be hypnotized.  He sorta went under a bit at the beginning, but not all the way.  He’s a tough nut to crack.  Our tablemate was a hoot.  We knew she would go under easily, and she didn’t let us down.  It was great fun watching.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) finds us docking at noon in Ajaccio, Corsica (France), the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.  It sure is fun bouncing from country to country and hearing all the lovely languages and seeing new sights.  We have to be onboard at 6:30, so it will be a short visit here on this small “scented isle,” so called because of the strong flowery perfume that hangs in the air over the forest.  I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.

Tonight was our second and final formal night, one too many on this short of a cruise, in my humble opinion, but there are some who enjoy getting all gussied up…not Dick.  Go figure.

We are having a good time, and hope all of you are doing the same.  Life is good!  Ciao…

Hi from Sorrento

Here we are with Capri in the background, riding the HO HO bus on this beautiful, warm day. Life is GOOD!!! Ciao, y'all...
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Princess cruise Day 8 - Messina

Forget looking at old buildings, shopping or anything else.  We have it on good authority from Empress Bee and Sarge that we need to find these…

These delights are a Sicilian pastry dessert and are not to be missed in this port, so our friends say.  Here is a little info on them…

Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta cheese (or alternatively, but less traditionally, sweetened Mascarpone) blended with some combination of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, Marsala wine, rosewater or other flavorings. Some chefs add chopped succade or chocolate chips. They range in size from "cannulicchi", no bigger than a finger, to the fist-sized proportions typically found in Piana degli Albanesi, south of Palermo, Sicily. Sometimes cannoli can be found with the shells dipped in chocolate, in addition to being stuffed with filling.

Be still my beating heart!  I am not big on sweet stuff, but this will be something I’ll try.  Stay tuned for the review!

Princess cruise Day 7 – Valletta, Malta

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea (in its eastern basin), some 93 km south of the Italian island of Sicily across the Malta Channel. Only the three largest islands Malta Island (Malta), Gozo (Għawdex), and Comino (Kemmuna) are inhabited. This place is OLD…first inhabited about 5200 BC!

Being Sunday, most everything was closed today, but we walked to the city center anyway, then caught the HO HO bus for a 3 hour tour of the north end of Malta. This is a very arid island, dotted with low stone walls separating farm land on the outskirts of towns. The island consists of mainly ochre colored old Baroque structures, all stucco and limestone; no wooden buildings anywhere. A paint salesman would starve here. Tourism and manufacturing are their main economy.

Malta has changed hands numerous times, with everyone from the Normans to Napoleon laying claim to this last outcrop of Europe before one reaches African shores. Fresh water is in short supply. Cactus is everywhere...apparently used by farmers when no rain means no clover to feed the animals. They remove the thorns, flatten the cactus and use this for feed. Of course we don’t know WHAT they are feeding. We saw a few dogs, a few horses, and one enclosure of sheep. Apparently rabbit are plentiful and a popular menu item. How many ways can they fix rabbit?
Wind is a major problem for the island. Grape vines are not grown on any hillside, unlike Europe, and the grapes have to be harvested at night, due to the heat giving the juice a narrow window for crushing before losing its flavor.

The bus made a 10 minute stop at a glass factory, but nothing called my name to purchase and tote home.

So now we are back at the ship, about to enjoy a siesta, sending hugs and birthday wishes to Scooter, who officially turned one just the other day. We miss all the kiddies...I miss reading all my fave blogs. Thanks for the comments. Life is good...and the medical problem patient is apparently doing well. Whew!

Princess cruise Day 6 – Sea day

Since this is a sea day, let’s look at more water!   We love sea days, so I’m sure this will be a lovely day for us.

Back to Corfu…

Unfortunately, the captain just announced that we have a med evac to do, so we had to turn around and head back to Corfu after being outbound for five hours.  He says that this will not interfere with our arrival in Malta on Sunday.  I sure feel sorry for the patient and his/her family. 

Dick and I rode the city bus into downtown Corfu this morning with the intention of just walking, looking and doing some major people watching.  We wound up in the outdoor cafe where we sat with friends Mike/Jennie and Loyal/Margie on the Greek Isle cruise we did in ‘07.  We love wandering the narrow streets and seeing all the *stuff* to tempt the tourists.  Balsamic vinegar is going home with us…big spenders!

Bee, the food is GOOD; no one to ‘stalk’; shows are so-so, but that is a trade off on the small ships.  This ship is the former R8 (Renaissance) and has beautiful appointments all throughout…very nice woodwork, etc.  Our stateroom window is off to the side, not over our bed, and was labeled ‘obstructive view.’  Well, this view is VERY obstructed by the life boat, more so than on some other ships we have been on, but that is OK.  We are managing.  I know you feel our discomfort:-)

Dick watched blackjack awhile after dinner, but didn’t participate.  I decided to come back to the room and check email and do a blog update.  I have my priorities!

The weather has been fantastic—no rain at all.  Amazing.  Brian, we are doing quite well.  Thanks for taking care of Missy…are you watering my plants???  Miss you guys…and miss reading all my fave blogs.  I hate this paying by the minute stuff!  I am opening up a blog or two each day and reading offline…I don’t want to get too far behind!  Keep commenting and staying in touch that way. 

Ciao!

Princess cruise Day 5 – Corfu, Greece

Dick and I cruised here in ‘07.  It is beautiful, so we are happy to return to Corfu.  Well, it is on water, so that makes it interesting all by itself!  We will definitely have to take more photos.

Princess cruise Day 4 – Kotor, Montenegro

Well, this is a new country for us.  Montenegro means “Black Mountain,” and it is located in SE Europe on the Adriatic Sea.  I don’t know much about this place, except that it is OLD.  I’ll know more about it by the time we arrive…

Princess cruise Day 3 – Split, Croatia

We have never been to Croatia before, so we are looking forward to this stop.  It is supposed to have one of the best preserved old towns…oh yes, I want to see that!

Princess cruise Day 2 - Ravenna

Hmm, this is what our stateroom is supposed to look like…not too bad!

We will be in this lovely old village all day today, departing at 6p.  Ivana is just about 45 minutes away from this port.  It would be lovely to meet her…and it would be WONDERFUL to sample some of her tasty food!

Princess Cruise Day 1 - Venice

This is the lovely atrium of the Royal Princess, and our journey begins onboard today.

Our hotel has incredibly slow internet, but it is FREE, so we wait...and wait...for stuff to download. For some reason Windstream wouldn't let me send outgoing mail today, so I may be using a combination of accounts to stay in touch. Hold the jokes please!!!

The weather in Venice is clear and a little cooler...great in our opinion! Tomorrow is a national holiday and everything will be closed...and too much traffic for Ivana to come and meet us at the ship. What a disappointment, but we totally understand about not wanting to fight traffic and tourists! Hey...that's OK. We will be back in Italy again.

Miss reading all my fave bloggers, but y'all know I'll be catching up when we get back home. Let the journey begin...life is good! We are looking forward to unpacking once and enjoying the cruise. Come along with us! Enjoy your Monday...